Adventive Reminiscence
by Asa Turney
Summary: A souvenir is only a souvenir after it has crossed over from its native place. Giving gifts that transcend borders, the Sealing Club is bound to have a Merry Christmas indeed.
1. 01: A Star of Hope Rises in the Blue Sky

**#01: A Star of Hope Rises in the Blue Sky**

* * *

The seasons in the real world change on a particular schedule. The boundaries are vaguely delineated, yet the signs are recognized clearly by humans. Most humans in Kyoto were currently aware that the holiday season was upon them, even if much of the meaning of the holidays had been lost to Japan over the years.

– "Hey, look!"

Renko Usami pointed to a large banner hanging over the local mall, proudly enunciating the words.

– " _Merry_ Christmas!"

– "Yes, yes..."

Maribel Hearn (Merry) brushed off the joke that had been made over a dozen times this week.

– "The best thing about this time of year is how your name is everywhere. It's like you're a celebrity."

– "Have you forgotten that it's not really my name?"

– "Of course not. It's just too hard to say, uh... Marielly... Marellybelly..."

– "I love you, Renko, but please don't try anymore. You're making it much worse."

– "Anyway, a name that means happiness suits you just fine. Because spending time with you always makes me happy!"

For someone so thoroughly dense, Renko also had a charming side. Smiling at the simple compliment, Merry reached affectionately for her partner's hand.

– "Oh wow, look at that! Hold these for a sec, will you?"

Dumping the handles of her heavy shopping bags into Merry's hand and leaving no time to protest, Renko dashed forward.

What could have grasped her attention so tightly? It didn't necessarily take much, but as she squinted her eyes Merry could make out a single star shining in the distance, even in the blue afternoon sky.


	2. 02: Frozen Capital of Eternity

**#02: Frozen Capital of Eternity**

* * *

– "Sorry, Merry! But I've never seen such an elaborately decorated Christmas tree before."

– "I've never seen this tree here before at all. Is it real, or artificial?"

The figure of a large pine tree stood in the center of the shopping district, dotted with countless colorful ornaments. In theory, an artificial tree had the advantage of being able to last eternally, but in practice it was probably more transient than a living tree, in that it would inevitably be destroyed after the season had passed.

For now, reflections danced off the glass decorations, half-translucent, shaped like tiny bullets. Renko grazed one of them with the side of her finger.

– "Even if it's fake, these ornaments are beautiful. Almost like treasures from another world."

– "Hm..."

Merry began to ponder a thought, until Renko said something that caught her off-guard.

– "You know what else is beautiful?"

– "W-what?"

– "That perfect tree-topper! Just by looking at that star, I can tell the time is truly Christmas."

They both tilted their heads skyward. At the very peak, a classic five-pointed star cast its aura over the tree's mountainous cone of a synthetic body.

– "...You're not wrong. But couldn't you use your atmosphere-reading abilities to finish that line properly? You're supposed to tell me that _I'm_ beautiful."

– "Eh? That goes without saying!"

Merry responded with a flip of her golden hair, satisfied.

– "You flatter me."

– "Then, will the beautiful Merry accompany me for a Christmas date tomorrow?"

– "Of course. I assume we're going to spend it at the usual place."

– "Don't be late!"


	3. 03: Flowering Night

**#03: Flowering Night**

* * *

– "Hey! You're fifteen minutes and thirty seconds late!"

The next day at the usual place, it was Renko who seized the rare first word.

– "Forgive me, Renko. I overslept."

– "Well, I just got here five minutes ago myself, so I can't complain."

Merry carefully sat down at their table on the terrace and patted her velvet dress flat against her lap.

– "Have you ordered the usual for me yet?"

– "The usual: that is, the holiday special that changes every year."

– "It's fun to have a tradition that stays the same, yet changes."

– "For example, you being late this time made for an interesting change of pace."

– "Sorry, sorry! Like I said, I was busy."

– "Busy? I thought you said you overslept."

– "Ah, well, that is..."

– "Mɪss, ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴏʀᴅᴇʀ ɪs ʀᴇᴀᴅʏ!"

The café's artificial waiter rolled up to their table, carrying a pair of steaming teacups on the tray that formed its head. Merry involuntarily wrinkled her nose as she caught a whiff of the contents, while Renko peered forward curiously.

– "What do we have here?"

– "Oᴜʀ ʜᴏʟɪᴅᴀʏ sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ ɪs: ᴡʜɪᴛᴇ ᴛᴇᴀ ɪɴꜰᴜsᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʀᴇᴅ ʟʏᴄᴏʀɪs."

The girl who hated exactly one flower in the world let out a dissatisfied groan.

– "Huh? Lycoris, of all things!"

– "Merry, don't be mad at the waiter! It's only doing its job."

The small robot's digital smile flickered and contorted into a worried expression, vibrating subtly.

– "You're right. It's no one's fault. Anyway, Renko is the one paying today."

The default smile returned as its cylindrical body spun and sped back toward the kitchen, the perfectly elegant servant of the future. The simulation of human emotion was a key part of its futuristic elegance.

– "Pʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅʀɪɴᴋ! Mᴇʀʀʏ Cʜʀɪsᴛᴍᴀs!"


	4. 04: Shanghai Teahouse - Chinese Tea

**#04: Shanghai Teahouse ~ Chinese Tea**

* * *

– "Nngh..."

Sensing Merry's apprehension to enjoy the drink, Renko took the first sip from her own cup.

– "Mm... It's decent. You know I prefer coffee, so this kind of thing seems very weak in comparison."

– "Weak? How can you say that when the smell is so strong?"

– "Is it really that strong? I think you're extra sensitive."

– "It's a blessing and a curse."

The sensation of taste is more like a combination of several senses. Aside from what touches the tongue, things like the scent of a dish and even the color can affect the perception of its flavor.

– "I'm telling you. The taste of white tea is naturally light, and the dose of the flower they added is extremely faint. It barely tastes like anything to me."

Hesitantly, Merry brought the cup to her lips, holding her breath and closing her eyes as she drank. With all other factors blocked out, she evaluated the experience until her eyes popped open in surprise.

– "Actually, it's not bad at all. I can taste something, but its taste is nowhere near as unpleasant as its smell."

– "What's the final verdict?"

– "I'd give it a six out of ten."

– "Oh? Not good, but quite a high score on the picky Merry's rating system!"

Renko chased down her words with another, bigger gulp.

– "You know, I think I can taste it a bit more clearly now too."

Though smell and sight and other preconceptions are a factor, the general atmosphere in which a food is enjoyed may also contribute to the taste. There is scientific basis to the sentiment that meals taste better when shared with good friends.

The maidens ordered no sweets to accompany the tea, as their continued conversation would be their dessert.


	5. 05: A Soul as Red as Ground Cherry

**#05: A Soul as Red as Ground Cherry**

* * *

For those who pursue the occult, knowledge of anthropology is a necessity. The supernatural is born, after all, from the natural. When it comes to cultural traditions such as holidays, the ideas passed down on such a large scale tend to accumulate great spiritual energy. Naturally, the two members of the Sealing Club considered themselves experts in this field.

– "Basically, it's a festival for a cryptid who wears red and white."

– "Renko! Don't call him a cryptid."

– "Well, he supposedly travels the world in a way that defies all physics, yet people rarely see him. Maybe he's more like a youkai than a cryptid."

– "I don't know. If we're talking about the true meaning of Christmas, I feel like you're missing some details."

They took a moment to consider that this creature's red and white was likely what inspired their lycoris tea, so they had him to thank or blame.

– "Red and white are the colors of Shinto purity, but I don't think he has any Shinto counterpart. Then again, what's pure about an old man who breaks into houses at night?"

– "It's not like he steals from the houses. He only does good deeds like delivering gifts."

– "You'd have to be a saint to have that kind of power and not use it for mischief."

– "That's right. His name is _Santa_ , which is the title of a saint."

Renko leaned back in her chair and threw her arms up at her sides, scanning the archives of her memory.

– "Is he the same saint who was crucified? Well, I hope he's doing better nowadays."

– "He's still relatively popular in other countries. As long as the spirit of gift-giving stays alive, I'm sure his existence is safe."

– "Speaking of which, my treating you here was supposed to count as a gift. But it was a bit of a bust, so what should I do?"

Merry set down her cup, which was finally empty, and lifted a bright face in her partner's direction.

– "Actually, I'm glad you asked. There is somewhere else I wanted to go, if you would come with me."


	6. 06: Night Sakura of Dead Spirits

**#06: Night Sakura of Dead Spirits**

* * *

The two girls left the café with perfect timing for one of their excursions. Twilight settled over the city. The sky had dimmed just enough to decrease visibility, but not quite enough to activate the automatic streetlights. The glistening decorations on the tree in the shopping district were the only outstanding source of light, and even those slowly shrank away as they headed toward the outskirts.

– "Not only is it dark, but it's really chilly tonight."

– "Feeling a chill usually means there are ghosts nearby. In this colder season, shouldn't there be a lot of ghosts around?"

– "You've got the logic backwards, Merry. If it's naturally cold, that just makes it harder to tell."

– "What do you mean?"

– "It's not that phantoms are attracted to the cold. The phantom itself has a negative body temperature, so it makes the surrounding air feel chilly."

– "How scary. What if all of winter is an illusion, and they've just stolen the warmth of spring right out the air?"

– "I don't get it, but your theories sure are interesting. ...Brrr!"

Renko exaggeratedly rubbed her hands over the sleeves of her shivering arms. She then shifted her shoulder bag to unzip the largest pocket, out of which peeked a tip of bright red fabric.

– "Oh my, is that...? I didn't know you still used it."

– "Of course! How could I throw it away? It's made out of magic string."

– "You believe that?"

– "You told me that, so I believed it."

– "Right..."

 _Although it's not like I actually got it from another world,_ Merry thought sheepishly.

– "Anyway, it was made by Merry, the magician. There's nothing more magical than that!"


	7. 07: The Centennial Festival

**#07: The Centennial Festival for Magical Girls**

* * *

 _Three hundred sixty-four days and twenty-three hours ago._

– "For those cold late-night outings... I made it myself. You didn't know I was so handy, did you?"

Renko eagerly lifted the scarlet-colored accessory out of a scarlet-colored box, feeling the softness of the thickly-crocheted thread between her fingers.

– "Wow, it's so long! I'd bet two people could fit in it."

She said this as she wrapped it around her own neck several times.

– "That's the idea. You could say it's made out of the legendary red string that binds two people together."

– "It is? That makes it really special!"

– "Hee-hee."

– "I love it. Thank you, Merry."

She had already made herself perfectly at home in her new apparel, as she brought forward a gift of her own.

– "And for you! _Merry_ Christmas!"

Merry brushed off the joke that had been made a dozen times that week, reaching quickly into the bag being handed to her. She withdrew, already unwrapped, a solid-colored hardcover book with a vaguely nostalgic title. It appeared old, but in surprisingly good condition.

– "What's this?"

– "It's a rare book of ghost stories and paranormal records! It entered public domain over a century ago, but it's been buried under so much in the digital archives that it was more worth it to spend the time searching for a hard copy."

– "It must have been tough to get your hands on. This edition isn't even Japanese."

– "Yeah. I hope I'm not wrong, but this language... you can read it, can't you?"

– "Mm-hmm. I've gotten used to Japanese by now, but I think I still can."

– "All right! Perfect!"

– "Why, I can't believe the president is assigning me homework over the holidays."

Merry was teasing, but she was actually pleased. It was a very Renko-like gift.

– "No, it's not like that. Not even I have read these yet, so I want to learn about them together!"

– "Together?"

– "Because... I never want our club to run out of adventures! You feel the same, right?"


	8. 08: Crystallized Silver

**#08: Crystallized Silver**

* * *

– "What could possibly be all the way out here? Is there a boundary?"

– "Something like that."

The pair of girls had walked far enough from the city that no other humans were in sight. The trail back home was only barely visible through the shadows.

– "Gah... If it weren't for this scarf, I'd seriously be freezing."

– "Sorry about that. Please hang in there."

– "Forget about ghosts. At this rate, we might get to meet the _yuki-onna_ , like we read about in that book."

– "Maybe she'll finally bring us snow."

This Christmas evening in Japan would not be a white one. Snow was rarer in the area than it had been in past years. The temperatures dropped to extreme lows but, for complicated reasons of environmental imbalance, the snow simply didn't fall. The disconnect between the biting cold and the lack of precipitative proof often left one questioning whether the sensation was real at all.

– "What would you do if she did?"

– "It'd just be a bit disappointing, because she'd make us swear not to tell anyone about it."

– "Ah, there's no way that rule can be true. Or else the author could never have recorded the story we read."

– "You raise a fair point, Renko."

– "Anyway, give me a hint about this boundary we're going to."

– "It's the boundary of the literal and the metaphorical. I'm going to make our date last forever by 'freezing' us in time."

– "Oh, that sounds really... Wait, what?"

– "Just kidding."

Merry, who had been leading the way, stopped in her tracks. Renko continued past her until their shared scarf stretched into a bridge between them. Then, before she could turn around, Merry abruptly hugged her torso from behind.

– "W-whoa!"

– "Don't tell anyone about this, okay?"

– "Merry, are you... this shy about PDA? You didn't have to take me all the way out here as an excuse to huddle for warmth."

– "Maybe, but that's not all. As my gift, I want to show you a dream."

Swiftly, she slipped her hands upwards to cover her partner's eyes.


	9. 09: A Land Resplendent

**#09: A Land Resplendent with Nature's Beauty**

* * *

Instead of being blinded, a new world instantly materialized.

Through this shared vision, Renko could still feel the cold from the real world, and hear the sounds of the wind in abandoned Kyoto, but the scene that unfolded in three dimensions around her was clearly a new place. Snow was falling. The silhouette of a shrine was visible on the horizon. And before her stood an enormous tree - not an artificial pine like in the shopping district, but a live Mongolian oak with a grand oriental aura.

– "Is this... your dream world?"

– "That's the thing. We call it _my_ dream world, but it's not really mine. This world belongs to someone else. Though, I have been here a lot recently to set this this up."

Renko's eyes fixated intently on the tree. Countless icicles, shining and sharp, hung in chaotic patterns from the tips of branches. The snow on the leaves reflected the sun ten times brighter than should be possible. Beyond these enhancements by the forces of nature, she could also tell that the tree had been hand-decorated with a number of unique objects.

– "Ha... I get it now, why you were late to our meeting. You were oversleeping... _and_ busy!"

Back in their clubroom, they had accumulated a small collection of treasures from Merry's dreams: a bamboo shoot from a forbidden forest, an ancient stone from a graveyard of gods, a mysterious saké bottle of forgotten origins.

In contrast, this tree was decorated with simple earthly treasures that hardly passed for decorations, let alone treasures: for example, colorful miniature parasols that had been distributed with their favorite drinks from the café. Various cell phone charms they had considered lucky items whenever they passed a test while using them. Wooden wishing plaques from an outside shrine that had failed all readings as a paranormal hotspot.

And long strands of leftover red thread, wrapped around the branches like a garland, contrasted with the powdery white snow that clung to the leaves underneath.

– "I want to say that you've been hoarding too much, Merry, but this is great stuff. It all has such nice memories."

– "They're the most precious memories I can offer. You see, we take souvenirs from this world all the time. I started to think it's only fair to leave some behind as well."

– "You're right, I guess that's fair. In fact, it might even be necessary..."

– "We seem to have the same theory. Yes, I believe this boundary is able to hold because of a balance on both sides. I'd like to make sure it doesn't disappear... if only for a selfish reason."

– "What's that?"

– "So our club will never run out of adventures."


	10. 10: White Traveler

**#10: White Traveler**

* * *

The season in Merry's dream world wasn't always the same as in the real world, so it was difficult to keep track. One night, she may find herself in a summer meadow, only to go back to a cold winter the following day. Like an ice fairy in spring, she often felt like an outsider no matter where she was.

However, there is a simple loophole, a backdoor, to this manner of thought. The sense of unbelonging is easily countered with the truth of perspective. Regardless of others' perceptions, many objects fulfill their identity precisely by going where they don't belong. Maribel Hearn was only a dreamer while having a dream, and only a Sealing Club member while exploring with her partner. While participating in these activities, then, she could consider herself at home.

The memory would be imprinted on the dream world: two girls, wrapped in a single scarf, clapping their hands together in front of an eccentrically decorated tree as if paying respects to a shrine. The objects of decor would soon be scattered at the whims of the world's residents, but surely they would each find a use, or else find a friendly place to exist as _tsukumogami_.

There was a bit of worry that the residents might perceive Merry's treasured gifts as a thoughtless dumping of trash, but she certainly hoped otherwise. Perhaps a tiny umbrella could serve as shelter for an inchling. Perhaps a god of fortune could repurpose their trinkets as true lucky charms. And a wishing plaque could be used by anyone with faith.

– "You know, I especially liked the tree-topper. The peak was so high that I could barely see it, but it looked like the figure of a winged angel in blue. How did you even get it up there?"

– "Er... Was there something like that? I did have some help getting decorations up high, though I only asked them to put a star on top."

– "Who?"

– "Here, let me tell you about the children I met..."

For now, the living oak behind the Hakurei Shrine blossomed with its artificial flowers. One wishing plaque that dangled off a low-hanging branch was infused with a simple prayer: that the flowers left in fantasy may continue to bloom there.


End file.
